New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Finnish counterpart Sanna Marin fired back at a reporter’s question on Wednesday who asked if the two leaders met “just because” of their similarities, such as age and gender.
The sexist remark came when Jacinda and Sanna were addressing a joint press conference that was set up to highlight Sanna Marin’s diplomatic visit to Auckland.
“A lot of people will be wondering, are you two meeting just because you are similar in age and, you know, got a lot of common stuff there,” a reporter asked Ardern.
Reacting to the question, Jacinda said, “My first question is I wonder whether or not anyone ever asked [former U.S. President] Barack Obama and [former New Zealand Prime Minister] John Key and if they met because they were of similar age.”
“We of course have a higher proportion of men in politics. It’s reality. But because two women meet, it’s not simply because of their gender,” she added.
Classy responses from Jacinda Ardern & Sanna Marin to this most inane question…I so wish we had a PM like this in our country #PMQspic.twitter.com/NYwhlOJg2v
— Lee Fergusson #FBPE #FBPA (@LeeFergusson) November 30, 2022
Ardern then went on to elaborate on the importance of the meeting between the two leaders. She highlighted her country’s dependence on $199 million in Finnish imports and the economic potential behind increasing European exports.
Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin also reacted to the question by saying, “We are meeting because we are the Prime Ministers.”
She added, “We have a lot of things in common but also a lot of things where we can do much more together. One of those things are technologies.”